Hawaii school teachers need a contract

Hawaii’s school teachers have their work cut out for them. Hawaii’s kids continue to lag behind national averages on standardized tests for reading, science, and math, says a commentator for Yahoo! News. The school teachers have been working without a contract for more than 17 months due to multiple failed contract negotiations. Out of frustration, and in order to try and force a resolution to the standoff, some schools have adopted the “work to the rule” concept. They work from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m., and that’s it. One of the issues with the contract negotiations is teacher salary. On the surface it looks like the teachers are well paid, with a starting salary of about $45,000 per year. But upon closer examination, all is not as it seems. In a comparison among the 50 states based on a “salary comfort index,” Hawaii’s teachers ranked 50 out of 50. This ranking means that, based on the salary earned, Hawaii’s teachers’ standard of living is the worst out of all 50 states…